Q100’s Bert Show gets goal of 400,000 letters for military
Mount Vernon Presbyterian School in Atlanta sent out thank-you letters earlier this month for the Bert Show campaign.
Four years ago, Q100’s Bert Show listeners wrote 375,000 hand-written letters, one for every military personnel overseas for Thanksgiving.
The show this year did it again with a goal of 400,000. A week ago, the show said it had received only 40,000 letters. “We were all in a panic,” host Bert Weiss said in a phone interview Tuesday.
But a flood came in this past week and they pulled in 405,925 letters, the show announced Monday morning.
They had 200 volunteers, solicited through Facebook and Twitter, counting letters over the weekend on the fourth floor of their building.
Six weeks ago, he had seen a story about veterans coming home and feeling disconnected from civilians. “It felt like the right thing to do at the right time again. The military wasn’t on the front page anymore,” Weiss said.
The process was more stressful than 2007, he added, because the letters came in later.
Weiss has said even if the letters are generic, military personnel appreciate the sentiments, especially since they are written by hand, something people hardly do anymore.
Kristin Klingshirn, the newest member of the morning show, has a Marine brother overseas.
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By Rodney Ho, Radio & TV Talk
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56 comments Add your comment
girl six
October 31st, 2011
8:23 am
i totally appreciate our Armed Forces. happy that the station reached its goal. i hope the soldiers are pleasantly surprised.
Terry Long
October 31st, 2011
8:57 am
As a Volunteer for the Georgia Aquarium, I was advised of the partnership that was created through the Aquarium with the BertShow about a week and a half ago. I presented the idea to the VP of my comapny to solicite a letter- writing campaign in the office. We were able to extend our effrots to the employee family and religious organizations as community projects.
We were able to increase the compelted and properly executed letters by 45… this is stellar as my new company has not done such a project before… we are proud and appreciate the direction and inititative of the Letter Writing Campaing.
Thanks to the Bert Show… we done…
Mavis Beacon Listens to XM Instead
October 31st, 2011
9:54 am
I’m surprised the average “The Bert Show” listener (or host) can write ANY of the 26 letters…
… of the alphabet….
…to say nothing of composing an entire, coherent message full of them.
carla roqs
October 31st, 2011
10:08 am
you know what? it is monday morning, new week, new day, new hour. i too listen to satellite, but… this is about those who help protect our country. come fricking on…
Q100’s Bert Show gets goal of 400,000 letters for military | ATLANTAboy.com - The Best of Atlanta Celebrities & Gay Gossip
October 31st, 2011
10:28 am
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Mavis Beacon Listens to XM Instead
October 31st, 2011
10:46 am
Those who defend our country deserve BETTER than to have to decipher some half-baked, inarticulate, poorly written messages from “The Bert Show” listening base who did poorly in school.
If WSB, WCFO or even WGST were getting their (predominantly) educated & articulate listeners to write these letters, then it would likely be a more successful concept and much more worthy of those who defend our country.
“The Bert Show” itself is like an unwanted, unsightly and unneeded STD blemish on the skin of Atlanta radio that simply won’t go away.
Ned
October 31st, 2011
10:49 am
Mavis Beacon is spot on.
The Bert Show is pathetic. Bunch of vapid, immature whiners droning on about meaningless crap. I rather be hit across the face with a wet fish every morning than listen to that drivel.
Army Wife
October 31st, 2011
10:57 am
My husband is in the Army stationed in TX, and I want to extend my gratitude to the Bert Show and to all the listeners who have reached out to write letters to them. It really truly is a blessing to see that so many people care, especially our young adults and youth. My husband received a care package about 2 weeks ago put together my schools across the US, it made him cry. Please continue to do your good work, and please know that each letter will be taken to heart, and will indeed make a soldiers day.
God bless you all.
Anonymous
October 31st, 2011
10:59 am
This isn’t about the Bert Show. It’s about a soldier getting a thank you card. Take your complaints elsewhere you Un-American snobs.
Really?
October 31st, 2011
10:59 am
That is a pretty ignorant statement about the people who listen to the Bert Show. I love when people try so hard to show intelligence only to look like a jack *ss. Fun stuff.
Those of you who do not listen to the Bert Show are missing one of the best and most entertaining morning shows I have had the opportunity to imbibe. If it is not your cup of tea, that is fine – there are plenty of other things to listen to.
I really enjoyed being a part of this. It was such a small thing to do for our troops that sacrifice all they do for us.
Sincerely,
A college degreed professional who listens to the Bert Show!
carla roqs
October 31st, 2011
11:05 am
my son was in the army and injured over the holidays. (years ago) we were put up at Fisher House on his base for the families of hospitalized soldiers. a Jewish family (and they did not personally celebrate the holiday) provided Christmas dinner for everyone in the house that year (and they’d probably done it before). it is not about who, it is not about what, it is not even about where: love, care and concern are felt by whomever it is being shared with and even if it is misspelled. you rock, the bert show, even though ive never heard you and do not intend to do so. you still ROCK!
My Hand Hurts
October 31st, 2011
11:06 am
Extremly annoying when they got all up in arms prior to the deadline about how few letters they had gotten. The deadline was still looming. That said….I am glad they reached their goal and glad to have gotten to participate 524 times.
GET A LIFE!!!!!
October 31st, 2011
11:11 am
Everyone that has something negative to say about sending OUR MILITARY a THANK YOU is really showing the same morals that you say the listeners have. It is not about the show it is about sending a message to our military. GET A LIFE!!!!!!!!! Either get on the band wagon and send a letter or SHUT UP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
By the way: I don’t listen to the show but when I heard what they were doing I sat down and wrote 3 letters of THANKS………how about you do the same.
Atlanta Native
October 31st, 2011
11:18 am
Yes, our military deserves better. They deserve to come HOME.
RK
October 31st, 2011
11:31 am
Maybe they can get back to entertaining…great idea, sure, but when that’s all you talk about, and it isn’t entertaining, I change the station.
The Ghost of Ed Murrow
October 31st, 2011
11:37 am
Well, this promotional idea (and let’s not kid ourselves, this is at the root a promotional idea for the Bert show more than anything else) is at least better than…
…the Bert show’s half-baked “Free Day at 6-Flags” mess they tried a couple of years back..which gridlocked I-20 rush hour traffic and saw tons of questionable parents abandoning their kids on the side of the road….6-Flags pointed the finger at Bert and Bert pointed the finger right back at 6-Flags…
…at least this promotional idea doesn’t gridlock traffic, endanger children and expose the mentality of listeners.
RK
October 31st, 2011
11:55 am
Ghost, it absolutely is a promotional stunt — he learned it from Jack Diamond in DC. It’s not altruistic.
Renee
October 31st, 2011
12:03 pm
Way to go Bert Show community!! You Did It! I am certain every American soldier will be pleased to get a letter from home on Thanksgiving. The evil folks how are posting obviously had a big honking drink of hater-aid this morning. Oh yea, I bet you haters didn’t write one letter. Shame on you!
Renee
October 31st, 2011
12:05 pm
WAY TO GO BERT SHOW COMMUNITY!!!!
As for all you haters, go crawl back under your rock and listen to your paid-for radio.
Mavis Beacon Listens to XM Instead
October 31st, 2011
12:05 pm
If you folks the staff of “The Bert Show” cares more about ANYONE other than themselves, their ratings and their own look-at-us popularity with the unintelligent, lowest-common-denominator party crowd of our city, you are sorely mistaken.
I personally take offense that these clowns are using the brave men & women of our nation’s military to promote themselves the same way they will use anything and anyone else to draw attention to themselves for their own $$$elfish purposes.
If this were the 1960s and the military draft were still in place, the on-air [ahem]… “talent” of this show would all be running around with the other draft-card-burning hippies, smoking dope, mindlessly flashing the ‘peace’ sign, openly fornicating in the mud and spitting in the faces of our servicemen as they return home from Vietnam.
Mavis Beacon Listens to XM Instead
October 31st, 2011
12:06 pm
CORRECTION:
If you folks *THINK* the staff of “The Bert Show” cares more about ANYONE other than themselves, their ratings and their own look-at-us popularity with the unintelligent, lowest-common-denominator party crowd of our city, you are sorely mistaken.
Andi L
October 31st, 2011
12:17 pm
Well, I for one am glad to have been one of the letters that helped them reach their goal and knowing that my note may make a soldier heart’s warmer.
Mavis Beacon Listens to XM Instead Hater
October 31st, 2011
12:23 pm
“Mavis Beacon Listens to XM Instead”! Mavis as much as you talk about the Bert show and know so much about them you much not listen to XM much. If you do listen to XM then shut up and stop talking crap about a show that has proven that they are the msot listened to radio show in Atlanta you loser. Heck, “Mavis Beacon Listens to XM Instead ” is probably that boring Vicky Lock from B98.5
Mavis Beacon Listens to XM Instead Hater
October 31st, 2011
12:24 pm
Mavis Beacon Listens to XM Instead you are so boring to read.
Mavis Beacon Listens to XM Instead Hater
October 31st, 2011
12:27 pm
Mavis Beacon you obviously have no clue what the Bert show has done for the community as a whole in Atlanta from the Berts show big thank you to Berts Big Adventure. What has XM done for Atlanta you cry baby.
To each their own
October 31st, 2011
12:35 pm
To Mavis Beacon
Happy Halloween you dried up old witch. Based on the negativity and rancid attitude in your post you could be nothing other than an evil green faced witch. Celebrate this Halloween by flying far far away on your broom. My family member in the military appreciates any correspondence and thoughfulness from home.
Mavis Beacon Listens to XM Instead
October 31st, 2011
12:41 pm
With the complete lack of ability to properly use even elementary-school-level punctuation in presenting any mentionable degree of rational thought by the rage-filled, inarticulate, undereducated, knuckle-dragging “The Bert Show” listening attacking me at 12:23 pm, 12:24 pm and again at 12:27 pm, I rest my case.
Can you imagine our military service men & women having to try to read, sift through and decipher THOUSANDS of letters of that ill-conceived, inarticulate drivel?
Those brave souls have suffered and sacrificed enough for our nation already without having to be bombarded with that tackiness just so the “The Bert Show” can temporarily spike their ratings.
Typical Bert Show Listener
October 31st, 2011
12:59 pm
Deer militeary peeple,
Thank u fer urvrythiung u do fer are country. Freedom aint free and da Bert show told me I shuld rite u a letur and say thnanks. That Bert is a urgly little midget but his show funny sumtimes. I leike when dey talk aboot poopin.
Lurv,
Burt show fan
Curious George
October 31st, 2011
1:07 pm
Wow.
Can anyone guess which defensive posters on here are actual staff members of The Bert Show or their friends/relatives?
Nak
October 31st, 2011
1:10 pm
I am a teacher and personally do not listen to The Bert Show, however a fellow co-worker told me about “The Big Thank You” initiative. I thought this was a great opportunity to get my students to personally get involved in a civic duty as well show appreciation towards the troops that are fighting for our freedoms. I applaud The Bert Show for their efforts and for exceeding their goal! I hope that they consider carrying out programs such as this on an annual or bi-annual basis.
Mitchell
October 31st, 2011
1:27 pm
What an empty and meaningless excercise in pseudo-patriotism.
Essentially an endorsement and affirmation of the war.
The people serving over there and returning again and again deserve far more than they will probably ever get.
Those notes should be sent to Obama telling him to end the war and bring them home.
Get A Life Marvin
October 31st, 2011
1:40 pm
Hey Marvin, i guess XM doesn’t have anything good on to listen to since you’re so pre-occupied with checking out blogs about other shows. And if your “handle” has to have your name on it like yours, i’d say you’re the self-centered pre-occupied with themselves price that you keep referring to everyone else as. Promotional stunt or not, military personnel will get a letter this thanksgiving, much to your disappointment i’m sure. That’s the whole point, there were plenty of people that sent letters that have never listened to the Bert Show, but it’s the gesture that counts and goes a long way, not the show. I guess if we listened to you, the Red Cross, Salvation Army, Doctors Without Borders, the USO, and every other group that does things to support our military, they all do it for the fame and promotion. Stick your head back up your ass where it belongs and go back to your XM
Alek
October 31st, 2011
2:04 pm
Most of these people do not deserve a “thank you” for “protecting our country” – the battles they are fighting are to protect economic interests of multi-national corporations, it is NOT about protecting American freedom (that was taken away by our own government ages ago!). Unlike soldiers in the past who were drafted into the military against their will, today’s armed forces are simply mercenary soldiers who are in it for the pay and benefits – they are not there out of the goodness of their hearts. So let’s stop all of this phony patriotic flag-waiving publicity stunt nonsense!
Mavis Beacon Listens to XM Instead Hater
October 31st, 2011
2:06 pm
Mavis, you are just a moron looking to talk crap about a show that you obviously listen to a lot and get some attention on here since you have so much to say about a show that must be far better than that crappy XM show you pay to not listen to every day. As far as my punctuation, I’m holding up my exclamation point for you.
Mavis Beacon Listens to XM Instead Hater
October 31st, 2011
2:11 pm
Alex are you smoking crack! “They are in it for the pay and benefits”. I don’t know if you have read what soldiers get paid dude but it is crap. I know well over a dozen soldiers are definitely not in it for the pay. They are in it for the very reason that you can sit there and disgrace them by saying what you are saying, for your freedoms. It is people like you that take for granted all the reasons why they fight. Yea, there are political reasons why we have wars but why don’t you go live over in North Korea for a couple of years and see if you can get on the internet and bash your government and their policies over there and see what that gets you.
A Realist
October 31st, 2011
2:16 pm
The sad part about this stunt is that most military members will not romanticize these letters as much as we do.
Mavis Beacon Listens to XM Instead Hater
October 31st, 2011
2:23 pm
Let me ask all of you protestors of the Bert show something. If it feels good why not do it? You guys hate on the Bert show but what you fail to realize is that they just got an entire community to rally together and fight for a cause. Instead of nagging and whining about it being a stunt, why not look at it as a positive. Trying to be a mind reader “A Realist” and thinking you know how the troops are going to take these letters just makes you look silly.
Alek
October 31st, 2011
2:23 pm
I’m assuming that “Mavis Beacon Listens to XM Instead Hater” is some kind of shut-in without a life given the innumerable posts here.
Mavis Beacon Listens to XM Instead Hater
October 31st, 2011
2:32 pm
so, not understanding the definition of “innumerable” Alek you are saying that you can’t even count past five I guess since the definition is “too many to count”.
Interesting
October 31st, 2011
2:34 pm
I think Alek and Mavis Beacon are probably two of the underpaid Bert show interns sitting there bored and laughing about all these posts.
A Realist
October 31st, 2011
2:54 pm
Mavis, we are two of a kind then! I can ask you the same. How do you know what military members are going to think of these letters? Why are you assuming the letters will be “ill-conceived, inarticulate drivel?” (I’ll wait for your blood pressure-spiked rant about the rage-filled, inarticulate, undereducated, knuckle-dragging Bert Show.) My comment simply stems from the unfortunate tendency that many of our military members have now become jaded, fighting a war we never should have been fighting in the first place for a reason that has since been resolved. Any amount of well-meaning letters from distant strangers is not going to heal the pain this has caused them or restore the years they have lost with their families and friends as a result of a bad decision made by a bad administration. In my opinion, these letters do more for us than they ever will for them. What we need to do for them is bring them home now.
Mr. Obvious
October 31st, 2011
2:56 pm
Jeff Dauler = “Mavis Beacon Listens to XM Instead HATER”
That poster types the way Jeff Dauler speaks and is clearly trying way, way, way too hard to defend that show.
I’m no English major, either, but “Mavis Beacon Likes XM” (the 1st one on here) has actually made some rather valid points about TBS and has obviously gotten under Jeff’s skin.
Bert
October 31st, 2011
2:58 pm
Hey, I got some free publicity – THAT’S WHAT IT’S ALL ABOUT!!!
A Realist
October 31st, 2011
2:59 pm
Hey, keep it honest “Bert!” That’s all you can do!
Mavis Beacon Listens to XM Instead hater
October 31st, 2011
3:06 pm
No, Mavis Beacon Listens to XM Instead HATER= Vicky Lock and I love the Bert Show.
Mavis Beacon Listens to XM Instead hater
October 31st, 2011
3:08 pm
Bert, I gotcha back!
Elvira
November 1st, 2011
3:57 am
I think it was a big promotion. If I’m wrong, then I won’t see Bert on TV talking about how Q100 sent all of these letters. (Trust me — he will be on TV talking about it.) They talked about it SO much last week, and I don’t believe they were truly at 40,000 mid-week. Shock: They made it on Friday! These soldiers were not drafted; they volunteered. If they pass around the letters anyway, why did each person have to get his/her own? Somebody talking about how they “don’t have anybody” as tho they’re there all by themselves. Big Sigh.
girl six
November 1st, 2011
8:44 am
alek, i take it that you do not have any relatives in the military. many of their loved ones are at home trying to live off of food stamps and the charity of their family. the only people making money off of the war are the free lancers who are overseas making six figures, def not our soldiers, not even with hazard pay.
DC24
November 1st, 2011
11:21 am
This show is all about creating drama…If there isn’t any to be had, they create it b/c they wouldn’t know what to do if there wasn’t some sort of drama in their lives.
Do you really belive that the day before the deadline they had under 200,000 letters and the next day more than 200,000 fell out of the sky? If it isn’t in some tabloid rag or on TMZ, these morons have hardly a clue what’s going on in the real world.
Elvira
November 1st, 2011
12:14 pm
@DC24 AGREED. They had FAR more letters early on than they said they did. And, the only way you could find out how to mail the letter (couldn’t you just give the address on the air?) was to GO TO THE WEBSITE. They were trying to get people to the website. They were also still telling people to “mail the letters” on Friday. Um…the deadline was Friday. Mail wouldn’t arrive at the studio until the following week. Hey, if you can talk about the letters, you don’t have to come up with material for the show…
Calling It Like It Is
November 2nd, 2011
9:23 am
I’m not going to call out individual posters on this, I’m just going to make a blanket statement:
Why is it that when someone, or in this case, the radio station, takes an idea that involves the community, and asks for help from the community, that people bash them? I, myself, have no family members, or close friends, in the military, but think that what they are doing is a great idea. Remember, these soldiers volunteered for service and were not drafted. They made a decision to go into the military and serve our country and protect our freedoms (including the haters that have posted above).
These individuals are far away from their kids, their parents, their spouses and do not get to see them every day, like those of us who are here. Some have not seen their kids since they were born. Many of them have only return to U.S. soil in a coffin. They will never see their loved ones again. The fact that you couldn’t take 5 minutes out of your busy life to tell someone that you don’t know and probably will never know to thank them for protecting your freedom is simply pathetic. It only cost involved in the process was maybe the price of a stamp, but that’s a far cry from what these soldiers are putting on the line to protect OUR freedoms. If you were stationed overseas and you received a Thank You letter from someone that you had never met or probably never will, wouldn’t that mean something to you?
You should keep your condescending comments of this promotion to yourself. At least they are doing something good for the community. How many other stations in Atlanta can say that? I don’t think Star, Dave, B98, The Bull, Regular Guys, WSB, WGST, V103 are doing anything remotely close. Have any of these stations taken terminally ill kids to Disney World so that the families can be “normal” for a week with nothing to worry about? I don’t think so.
No, I don’t work for the station, have a member of my family in the military, or have a child that is terminally ill. I just have a gread deal of respect for someone or group of people that want to want to do something good for the community. If all the negative comments and hatred were put into constructive means, there would have been alot more letters received or maybe you could even volunteer for something – you might find that you actually might feel better.
DC24
November 2nd, 2011
11:19 am
It’s not bashing them for what they did; it’s bashing them because they are more about creating drama, where there is none to be had. Like I said before, The Bert Show claims to of had 40,000 letters a few days before their deadline and then all of a sudden 300,000+ letters appear out of nowhere?
What they did was a great civic duty, congrats to them on that, but as a whole The Bert Show is a group of self-absorbed, drama queens. They make dating and relationships sound like a game to be played, they suck up to celebrities as if they are some sort of super hero, and on the rare occasion they talk about sports, not one person (including the males) have a clue what they are talking about.
So, my ‘bash’ on The Bert Show is less about doing something great for troops, and more about my distain for their show and what they prop up as being important .
KenneMa
November 2nd, 2011
12:55 pm
DC24 – totally understand your distain for the show and that is fine. also, if they created drama to get more letters in, so be it. However, in the end, they did something that no other media outlet has accomplished. I think that needs to be acknowledged and commended. By the virtue of these men and women volunteering for the military, we are all able to post our crazy comments. God bless them, one and all.
Phyllis
November 2nd, 2011
2:02 pm
Yes, I agree that our Soldiers deserve to come home, but until then, I’m more than sure that they appreciate getting letters to help pass the time until they can see their friends and family. If Bert got fame for doing the letters, oh well, it was well deserved. My granddaugher class took the time to write and my co-workers helped by writing some letters. The letters may not touch the hearts of every single Soldier, but if one letter touched one Soldier, then all 400,000 was worth it. Stop wasting so much time being bitter, just be glad regardless if they volunteered or not, be glad they are keeping us safe. All haters hate because they don’t know any other way, home training and respect is a foreign language. Just say “THANK YOU” and keep it moving. Way to go Bert Show
Calling It Like It Is
November 2nd, 2011
2:35 pm
Drama was created to get people to get there letters in. But as a whole, for a market the size that Atlanta is, radio here is horrible…no argument there. And the show is definitely geared more toward a female demographic. Being a guy, there isn’t really anything else worth listening to in the morning.
But when it comes to community involvement and getting people involved, they do a good job. You have to give credit where credit is due. People were saying that Delta flights were writing letters while in the air, they received letters from Spain, and countless school systems, including my daughter’s. They have the resources to get community involvement and being in 2 other cities other than Atlanta, that gives them a broader reach to get their message out and call on more individuals.
Yes, some more male oriented morning shows would be nice, but most guys can’t stomach The Regular Guys anymore and I don’t even know who is on Project in the mornings. Unitl then, you don’t have alot of options, but The Bert Show is the only palatable morning show in Atlanta. Sure you have Sirius/XM, but not alot of people want to pay for something that should be free.
There are not any other stations in this city that would even attempt to take on what they have…The Big Thank You, Bert’s Big Adventure, and the one they did for the guy who’s wife passed away from a stroke, leaving him to raise special needs kids. You can call them mindless, self-absorbed drama queens, but they know how to get the public involved in their causes.
I’m not in their target audience, but the fact of doing what they do outside of the radio show, you HAVE to give them credit!
Elvira
November 3rd, 2011
9:46 am
Hmmm — 3-4 of the last 6-7 posts are written with the exact same writing style. Anyway, letters for the soldiers is a fine idea. What I don’t like is that TBS thinks all listeners are dumb. I will never believe they got 500,000 letters in 3 days (after starting at 40,000 on Monday. They used hours of airtime crying, begging, getting so upset, etc. just to be sure they DID reach 400,000. (If they said, “We’re almost there!” people would’ve stopped writing.) That’s irritating. It’s just like when they tell a story early in the morning, then the person tells the same news item 3 hours later, and everyone gasps and shrieks and whatever — like they are hearing it for the first time. (No, it’s not one of the many repeat segments.) I’m in and out of my car all day, so I sometimes catch the beginning and the end.) It’s just funny how they think they’re fooling everybody, and they DO fool most. Go troops!!! (Just don’t browbeat people to do something.)